# face the music

Pronunciation: say "fays-thuh-MYOO-zik" US /ˌfeɪs ðə ˈmjuzɪk/, UK /ˌfeɪs ðə ˈmjuːzɪk/

## Idiom

1. To confront and accept the unpleasant results that follow from what one has done.
   - Simple: To accept the bad results of something you did, instead of hiding from them.
   - _When the audit exposed the missing funds, the manager finally had to face the music._
   - _She stayed abroad for years rather than come home and face the music for the scandal._

## Origin

The origin is uncertain, but several sources have been suggested: a performer on stage facing the music from the orchestra pit while confronting a possibly hostile audience; a soldier being dishonourably discharged and paraded before others to the sound of a drum or music; or a soldier facing the noise of battle, since 'music' was military slang for the sound of gunfire.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/face-the-music (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).